William James

New York City, New York
Born: January 11, 1842
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Occupation:

I am an American philosopher and psychologist. I have written many psychology and philosophy books that were very influential to many. I also taught at Harvard University for thirty-five years; I studied and taught different subjects such as philosophy, psychology, anatomy, medicine, physiology, and biology. Even though I retired from Harvard, I carried on with my lectures and writings. Eventually I published two of my most famous works, Pragmatism, A Pluralistic Universe, and The Meaning of Truth.

Position on Issue:

I am an anti-imperialist and I feel that the Philippines should not be annexed. I am a part of the American Anti-Imperialist League which was created to fight against McKinley's expansionism. We have no right to annew the Philippines because they have not asked to be annexed, we are trying to force our ways upon them but they do not want to follow our rules. The only reason our government wants to annex the Philippines is simply for our own self-gain, politically and economically. Our government does not care how the annexation will effect the Filipinos. "Filipinos want freedom and annexation violates the consent of the governed philosophy in the Decleration of Independence."

Reasons of Interest:

Annexing the Philippines is not only selfish of us, but also disrespectful towards the Filipinos. The annexation would cost money and lives, it would be unnecessary. It would also cause the United States to get involved in Asia militarilly and politically. It would be morally wrong to force annexation upon the Filipinos, especially since it is mainly for our political and economical expansion. Aguinaldo is very capable of creating a national self-government and helping the nation to survive on its own, and we have convinced ourselves that he is a "dangerous rival" when all he is really interested in is self defence. We are so concerned with annexing the Philippines for our own benefits, when annexation could actually be very harmful to us. We are becoming too greedy and egocentric, and if we get what we want and annex the Philippines, it could just get worse. It is wrong of us to even be there in the Philippines. They did not ask for our help, we are merely trying to force our own ways upon the Filipinos for our own self gain, and that is very wrong.

References:

I have the same views and ideas as all the other members of the American Anti-Imperialist League. We are all opposed to the annexation of the Philippines. A few of my fellow members include; Andrew Carnegie, Senator Carl Schurz, and Mark Twain.

Sources:

"AMERICAN IMPERIALISM: 1890-1913." Curie Metro High School. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.curiehs.org/ourpages/Web_based_instruction/us_history/topicnotes/9-1.htm>.
James, William. "The Philippine Tangle." Boston Evening Transcript 1 Mar. 1899. Print.
"The Old Cause by Joseph Stromberg." Antiwar.com. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.antiwar.com/stromberg/s032000.html>.
"PowerSearch." GaleNet. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://find.galegroup.com/gps/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28K0%2CNone%2C22%29Annexation+Philippines%3AAnd%3AFQE%3D%28TX%2CNone%2C25%29Annexation+of+Philippines%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T002&prodId=IPS&searchId=R5&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=pl7053&docId=A111284037&docType=IAC&contentSet=IAC-Documents>.